Dallas Mavericks Blog

Thunder’s Westbrook: “I can’t do no right.”

OKLAHOMA CITY-The biggest impression the Thunder’s run into the Western Conference finals has made on point guard Russell Westbrook thus far may just be this:

“Regardless of what I do, it doesn’t matter,” he said Friday after working out at Oklahoma City’s practice facility. “I can’t do no right. So I just go out and play.”

Westbrook, the Thunder’s most misunderstood, puzzling or overanalyzed player, depending on your perspective, wouldn’t flame the scrutiny on coach Scott Brooks’ decision not to play him a single second of the fourth quarter in OKC’s Game 2 win over Dallas on Thursday. The play of the Thunder’s second-best player has been publicly picked apart throughout the postseason. Does he shoot too much, take bad shots and not pass enough?

“It’s important for the team to play well,” Westbrook said. “I think the problem is you guys are all about how I’m playing…instead of worrying about what our team is doing. That’s my main focus.”

Meanwhile, Brooks went out of his way to elaborate on and smooth over the situation.
Brooks said he took Westbrook out of the game late in the third quarter not because Westbrook had just turned the ball over, but because that’s when he normally takes a break.

Brooks said he didn’t put Westbrook, who had a triple-double in the Thunder’s Game 7 win over Memphis in the semifinals, back in to run his team simply because Eric Maynor and the crew of reserves playing with Kevin Durant were in a groove.

Brooks said he just went with his gut on the highly unorthodox decision. It’s hard to argue the result.

Westbrook didn’t play poorly: he had 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, four assists and four turnovers in Game 2. He had shot 3-of-15 in Game 1, but did score 20 by getting to the free throw line.

He looked angry when he was taken out of the game and perhaps exhanged words with Brooks, but Brooks said it wasn’t anything of note.

“It sounds good…but it’s nothing, I haven’t even talked to the group about it,” Brooks said. “Today’s practice was just about Game 3. He’s competitive. That’s what makes Russell good…. He wants to play, no doubt. If he didn’t feel a little frustrated in the fourth quarter, I would have a problem with that.”

Center Kendrick Perkins said he expects Westbrook to respond to all the scruitny emphatically in Game 3.

“One thing about Russell he always plays with a chip on his shoulder,” Perkins said “Him not playing in the fourth quarter probably didn’t anger him but probably motivated him. Prepare to see a different Westbrook come Game 3.”